What is being reviewed?

Up for review today is the Powerbag business class backpack, or as we like to describe it — power in a bag. Simply put, this is a backpack with a built-in 6000 mAh battery and some internally run cables for on-the-go device charging. Read on to find out how well the Powerbag measured up to our real world expectations.

Disclaimer: This Powerbag was provided to GadgeTell for the purpose of this review.

My thoughts

Shortly before CES began, yes, way back in January, a plain brown box arrived on my doorstep. Upon opening the box I saw that it was a bag, and rather honestly by the time this box had arrived — I was pretty set in the gear I was taking and what bag I would be carrying it in. But let me tell you, I am glad that I opened and fully investigated this bag. And just to give the name here, I am talking about the Business Class Pack from Powerbag.

Anyway, part of the reason behind getting the bag in January and doing a review in mid-April — the bag quickly became part of my gear. Almost immediately it felt like something that I purchased and simply owned, as opposed to something that I should have been thinking about, taking some notes about and writing a review about. The Powerbag is just that simple, it is a quality made bag with lots of pockets and space and perhaps more important here — it can also keep my gadgets charged up.

Let that bring me to the first point here, the pockets. The Business Class Pack is “Checkpoint Friendly” thanks to what Powerbag calls the FlyFlat design. And for anyone that travels, we are fairly certain that this will come in handy. That is just the beginning though, this bag also has three large sections. Of these the front most pocket is the one where the magic works — that is the pocket where the two charging cables come to and end. You know, the place where your small gadgets (phones, MP3 players, ect.) will live and stay charged. The cables in that pocket are for an iOS device and the other has two — micro USB and mini USB. The pocket behind that one is where the actual battery sits. In this case the battery sits in a zippered compartment towards the bottom and there is also a USB plug for charging an additional gadget, say, maybe a tablet or an ereader. And as for that last section, no additional batteries or cables, but it does have plenty of pockets and storage. And last for the pockets, the Business Class Pack also has a small pouch on the top and two small side pouches, one of which zippers. To sum up the pocket and storage situation, while a big perk of this bag is the built-in cables and battery — the bag has lots of storage spaces and all the pockets are nicely divided and lined with soft material where it seems appropriate.

The side towards the bottom has a plug where you can plug in a wall adapter (directly to the bag) and from that — all of the gadgets that are inside will stayed topped up with juice. In other words, this is nice when traveling because you will be able to have your gadgets plugged into the bag and then use the plug wall adapter on the bag. Bottom line, use one hotel wall outlet and charge a few gadgets all at the same time — all while still in your bag.

Otherwise, the front of the bag, towards the bottom is where the power button and battery indicator live. And nicely done, it appears to be nothing more than a logo on the front of the bag. That brings up another point, while this bag is full of features, it is simple black and rather non-descript. A few other points worth mentioning include that the bag weighs in at 3.11 pounds, it sports a 6,000 mAh battery (by default) and can hold a laptop that is 15 inches (or smaller). This particular bag sells for $179.99. In terms of the batteries, you can buy extras or even something bigger. Powerbag has a 3000, 6000 and 9000 mAh battery available which retail for $39, $49 and $59 respectively.

The bottom line

The Powerbag is an awesome product, it works well and does exactly what you would expect — holds and charges your gear. I have been using the bag for a few months now and can say that it does hold up rather nicely. Mine has no real signs of wear or damage and I suspect it will stay like that for some time. Even the shoulder straps remain nicely padded. Simply put, if you are looking for a bag that has some built-in power — a Powerbag is the way to go. And for those thinking they may want something other than a plain black looking backpack — rest assured in knowing that there are other styles available. Powerbag has the backpack along with a briefcase and some messenger style bags. As for me, I would not hesitate to recommend and personally speaking, I have my eye on a messenger style bag at some point in the future.